


Camp Oasis

by apieformydean, midnightau



Series: 24/7!verse [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Coming of Age, Cutesy, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, Fluff, Homophobia, M/M, Origins, Rivalry, Teenagers, Underage Drinking, but it's not too harsh we promise, with some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-10-11 21:29:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20552978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apieformydean/pseuds/apieformydean, https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightau/pseuds/midnightau
Summary: A prequel to '24/7' aka how Chanyeol and Baekhyun actually got to know each other.[can be read as a stand-alone!]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> [read the work which this one had been based on [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17189573); takes place between chapters 26 and 27 as a flashback from Baekhyun ♡ ]
> 
> heyheyhey
> 
> did you really think it would be a real Anise & Blake story without a huge spin-off? NAH
> 
> here we go with these cute babies just trying their wings at friendship and love, please love them as much as we did while writing it ♡
> 
> some additional infos on how this camp works in our universe:  
\- it's a camp for 10th - 12th graders in an elite, rich boys' school, it's a custom for everyone to attend  
\- it's a talent camp, meaning the boys learn how to do various sports, arts and play musical instruments  
\- duration: 3 weeks in July-August, with a showcase at the end of each week
> 
> enjoy ♡♡

“Ah, but really,” Chanyeol mumbled, wiping at his tired eyes as he let his feet dangle off the bed. He could almost reach the floor. He was quite proud of how much he had grown in the past few months. “I am alright, Mrs Song.”

_“I believe you, darling,”_ he could hear in her voice that she was actually not convinced at all and Chanyeol sighed.

It was dark in his room now, the sun has set behind the mountains under the thick forests and the bungalow felt sterile and unfamiliar. Everybody was outside, most probably telling ghost stories around the campfire (or whatever it was friends did around campfires), but Chanyeol couldn’t get himself to go out there.

He knew he was talked about behind his back. He had always been the weird kid, the odd one out who got chosen last for ball games in gym -- except for basketball, but that was one class and he messed it up -- and always sat alone in classes. He didn’t mind much; with the amount of time he had to spend with his nose in his textbooks at home, he was almost thankful there was nobody wanting to play video games with him. That would have been a distraction and nothing more.

“How are… my parents doing?” he asked, voice instantly hushed and a little cautious. Oh, how happy he was his voice wasn’t changing anymore. The topic itself was bad enough to discuss, he didn’t need to make it even more awkward.

_“They are doing fine,”_ Mrs Song replied, a little surprised, Yeol could tell. “_Your mother is about to wrap up the case she has been working on for three months now and your father… well I have not really seen him around, to be fair. I am sure he is well, though,”_ she summed up, pausing for a second before adding._ “They miss you.”_

“Yeah,” Chanyeol responded curtly. It was a lie and he was sure Mrs. Song was only trying to make him feel better about himself.

_“But I am more concerned about you, young man,”_ she went on. Chanyeol knew for sure, though, was that she wouldn’t let the topic of him sulking in his room alone go. _“You should be out there, with the others. That is what these camps are about, are they not? They are your schoolmates, I am sure you know some of them at least.”_

“I do,” Chanyeol muttered, running a hand through his hair. His mum had been telling him to get it cut for months. So he decided to grow it out.

He was thinking about their day, how the first dinner went and how he got assigned in the same room with this weird, stuck-up boy from year 12 who looked like he was going to run for next prime minister of South Korea as soon as he had the chance.

“I think I will go over that abridged novel again,” he added, sighing in defeat.

_“Park Chanyeol,”_ he heard Mrs Song take a deep breath and he bit his tongue. Uh oh. _ “ _ You _went to that camp to have fun and to get a little away from your textbooks, isn't that right?”_ she asked, not really expecting an answer. _“You know I am very proud of you and all your accomplishments in school, but you are supposed to get out of your mind every once in a while, you hear me?”_

“Yes, Mrs Song,” he grunted automatically, turning to his stomach on the bed and propping himself up on his elbows.

_“Good. Now get yourself out of that bloody room and make a bunch of friends, okay?”_ she asked, smile obvious in her voice, and Chanyeol huffed a little.

“I’ll do my best,” he nodded, and after promising to only call the next day, they said goodbye. Chanyeol dropped the phone on the bed in front of him and he let his head drop between his shoulders.

It was one second before the door behind him busted open and almost gave him a heart attack.

\--

“What are you doing in here?” Baekhyun literally kicked down the front door of Chanyeol’s room. He noticed the absence of the boy from the campfire and it bugged him to no end. 

“I, uh,” Chanyeol looked over his shoulder, before turning to sit up on his bed with crossed legs. “I was on the phone… what are _ you _ doing here?” He furrowed his brows and Baekhyun rolled his eyes.

“I came to get you out of the room, smelly.” Baekhyun scoffed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and to him, it really was. “Catch.” He then threw the pack of marshmallows - that he stole from the fire - at him.

The package hit Chanyeol right in the chest as his arms flinged around in the air trying to catch it clumsily. They locked eyes then and he caught Baekhyun grinning at him. Chanyeol huffed turning his head to the side, his ears getting redder.

“Come on.” Baekhyun nodded at him, waiting for him to move it.

“It’s fine, I’m not really, you know…” He shrugged playing with the packaging. Baekhyun furrowed his brows before skipping next to his bed and sitting down on the ground in front of him, looking up at him.

“What? Social?” Baekhyun asked with shining eyes.

“Uh, yeah, that…” Chanyeol scoffed, once again looking anywhere else other than Baekhyun. “Or popular…”

“It’s not about popularity.” Baekhyun pouted. “Everyone is here to have fun. Live a little, grandpa.” He chuckled hitting his arm playfully. 

“But,” Chanyeol sighed lying back on his bed. “I have this novel to finish and like, I also have to practice a little...”

“That’s boring.” Baekhyun replied plainly. 

“No, Baekhyun, that’s duty.” Chanyeol said overdramatically and Baekhyun scoffed.

“Sure.” He stood up walking over to what appeared to be Chanyeol’s luggage. He looked through it briefly, eyes darting over the awful amount of books in it and he heard the bed squeak behind him. It was the middle of summer he couldn’t be serious. Without thinking it through he grabbed a handful of books and hurried towards the door. 

“Wha- Baek!” Chanyeol was quick on his feet, jumping up from his bed. “Put them down, what the hell!” Baekhyun heard his steps behind him and as he was about to reach for the front door of the bungalow, Chanyeol caught his wrist.

“I am doing this for your own good.” He tried to pull his hand out of his hold. “You need to have a break! It’s the middle of summer.”

“I- can’t!” He reached out for the books but Baekhyun pulled them further away from him. “I don’t do breaks okay? I don’t- _ don’t.” _ He let out a flustered sigh.

“Why not?” Baekhyun asked in a baffled voice. “You will have all the time to study.” He shrugged. “Would it really hurt that bad to hang out with us?”

Chanyeol looked into his eyes for a minute longer and Baekhyun kept his stare. He had a mix of confusion on his face, pouty lips and furrowed brows. When he realized that Baekhyun was not about to let this go, he let out an annoyed huff and let go off his hand.

“So?” Baekhyun cocked a brow at him, turning his head to the side and putting his hand around his ear as a cone, waiting for his reply patiently.

“Alright.” He mumbled and Baekhyun grinned at him victoriously.

“Perfect.” He said dropping the books on the corridor and this time around he grabbed Chanyeol’s wrist, pulling him out of the bungalow.

\--

Chanyeol -- one hand in the pocket of his hoodie, the other holding a beer -- was stumbling across the small, round square of the camp. The bungalows positioned in a semi-circle, the boy had to make his way from one end to the other without getting tangled in the whole mess of people mingling in the middle. He had no idea where the music was blasting from, but it seemed to be everywhere, from the rooms of the bungalows to all the way down to the side of the lake. But the alcohol was running out, or at least so he heard, so when the boys whose room he was chilling in, had to leave to get more, he was escorted out pretty suddenly.

He didn’t know one could get drunk from two beers.

Or maybe it was three, but it’s not like it mattered. Chanyeol was trying to crane his neck, standing on his tiptoes to look above the shoulders of others, but boys one or two years his senior were inevitably taller than him so he decided to just blindly go for it.

He had Baekhyun in mind. The showcase that night, it was something legends were going around about but Chanyeol never knew it was actually as awesome as it was. The camp being one specifically for boys from his high school -- private, elite, with an impeccable history --, it was a tradition to take part in the annual talent showcase with some kind of a performance. Anything, it seemed, since some boys from his year literally got on the stage and showed off how fast they could do tap dancing while sitting.

But at the same time, others really shined that night. Chanyeol liked to think he wasn’t that bad himself, having played the guitar for more than five years then. But he... had someone else in mind.

He pushed the door of their bungalow open, tripping a little on the doorstep but not spilling his beer at all. It filled his chest with a little too much pride. The living room of their bungalow seemed to be trashed; empty bottles, long-forgotten plastic cups, a couple of stray clothing items and about 8-10 boys sitting on the couch and the floor around it, laughing heartily at something. Careful not to disturb anything, Chanyeol walked up to them, spotting him right in the middle of the circle.

And Baekhyun looked up, as if he had a sense for someone watching him, and waved him closer. It sparked a little bit of courage in Chanyeol’s heart.

“Hey,” the younger boy greeted them all with a small smile as he got there, holding his cup in front of his chest.

“Liked your song, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun instantly grinned at him brightly. Maybe a little more brightly than usual and the younger boy took one glance at the foot of the couch by his feet to spot a can of beer of his own. The others around Baekhyun -- mostly from year 11, one guy from year 12 and a few from their class -- were sitting around and only now realising he joined them. A couple of them raised their cups in his direction with some encouraging words and congratulations.

“Thanks,” he nodded, feeling his cheeks light up slightly. He wasn’t used to this much attention from his peers. “I- I wrote it myself, actually.”

“Really?” Baekhyun beamed and his eyes basically disappeared behind his cheeks. It made Chanyeol’s insides a little fuzzy. Or maybe it was the beer. Who knows. “Maybe one day I can sing a cover of your song,” Baek went on, taking one of the boys’ cup and sipping at it while watching Chanyeol’s face.

“I- yeah,” Yeol smiled as his lips pulled into a grin involuntarily. “You did so well tonight,” he said in a rush to get it all out at once because it had been building up in him ever since he heard him. “I didn’t know you sang so well.”

“I do,” Baekhyun giggled, throwing his head back as he did. “I am a natural,” he reassured him, and Chanyeol giggled with him. Wow. He didn’t do that since he left 5th grade.

“You sure are,” Chanyeol hummed, taking a sip of his own beer and it tasted a bit funny but he decided he would just go with it. It was his first night being somewhat like a normal teenager. It was time he got used to it.

“Huh, so,” one of the boys their age -- auburn hair, freckles, lean figure -- pushed himself up from the floor, clumsily dusting off his khaki pants as he grinned at Baekhyun. “I’ll go find Min. Promised me some… good stuff,” he winked at Baekhyun, and Chanyeol didn’t understand. Baek seemed to do, though, and two other guys did as well, following the lanky guy out of the bungalow, whooping all the way.

Baekhyun sighed, shaking his head a little and his eyes found Chanyeol again, nodding towards the now empty seat by his side and pulling his socked feet up underneath himself.

“What… good stuff are they having?” Chanyeol asked, trying to address all of them, but somehow his attention always seemed to wander back on Baek. He was practically glowing.

\--

“Ah…” Baekhyun chuckled as Chanyeol sat down next to him and ruffled his black locks. “Nothing you need to worry about.” He grinned finishing his drink with one gulp.

“Why don’t you go check it out?” Baekhyun’s roommate for the camp, Jin, a senior student, butted in, nodding towards Chanyeol. Baekhyun turned to him, anticipating his answer.

“Uh, I’m not that curious…” Chanyeol shifted in his seat, clenching his beer in his hands. “But thanks.”

“Let him be.” Baekhyun shushed Jin immediately, sensing Chanyeol tensing up next to him.

“What have you tried so far?” Another guy from 11th grade asked Chanyeol, and Baekhyun rolled his eyes but before he could speak up Chanyeol replied.

“Beer.” Chanyeol nodded and Baekhyun’s lips curled into a soft smile. Pure. “Just now.”

“Lightweight.” Jin scoffed and Baekhyun punched his shoulder.

“Be nice.” He mumbled angrily, taking a threatening glance at everyone around him.

“Come on, I am just playing.” Jin nudged his side and Baekhyun scooted closer to Chanyeol. Sometimes Jin’s closeness made him feel uncomfortable. 

“It’s fine, Baek.” He whispered into Baekhyun’s ear before turning to face Jin. “So what have you tried then?” He nodded at the older boy.

“Hmmm…” He hummed pursing his lips. “What haven’t I?” He smirked at Chanyeol. “I am afraid you are the only clean and pure one here.” He looked around the circle of boys and they all nodded. Baekhyun was sure they were lying to fit in and he hated it. 

“He is not late from anything.” Baekhyun shrugged simply, reaching out for another can of beer.

“Give me another.” Chanyeol spoke up, downing the remains of his drink in one go. Jin passed him another bottle with a smirk on his face.

“You smoke?” He asked him again with a cocked brow.

“No.” Baekhyun shook his head, answering for the two of them. “I don’t.” He corrected himself quickly, taking a sip from his drink.

“Me neither.” Chanyeol shook his head and Baekhyun nodded.

“Don’t you wanna try it?” Jin pulled out a full pack of cigarettes from his jersey and Baekhyun shook his head swiftly. “Come on, it’s not bad.”

“I would rather not.” Baekhyun replied simply.

“Suit yourself. Chan?” He nodded at Chanyeol, while some guys who were sitting on the floor took one from him each. Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol who took a big sip from his drink, watching Baekhyun before looking back at Jin.

“Sure, why not.” He shrugged reaching out for it and Baekhyun frowned.

“Really?”

“I mean, one won’t kill me… right?” Chanyeol asked taking a cigarette and unsurely placing it between his lips all the while Baekhyun looked at him disapprovingly. It sure won’t, but I will, he thought to himself.

“Good. Let’s go.” Jin punched Chanyeol’s shoulder slightly as he walked past him, his nice little group of admirers following him.

“You really want to do this?” Baekhyun asked once it was just the two of them. 

“If it stops him from being an ass, I will.” Chanyeol scoffed standing up. 

“It won’t.” Baekhyun sighed leaning back on the couch.

“What do you mean?” Chanyeol asked back, looking over his shoulder.

“He will just take it further.” Baekhyun shrugged pouting, eyes on the glass in his hands.

“And…” Chanyeol stopped in his tracks, taking the cigarette in between his fingers. “What if I won’t go further?”

“You can’t. Once you are in.” Baekhyun sighed pushing himself up from the couch so he can be on the same eye level as him. “He would push you more.”

Chanyeol was seemingly deep in thought, beer in his other hand and after sighing he placed the cigarette on the coffee table. Baekhyun looked at him with a surprised expression.

“You are… not doing it then?” Baekhyun asked, planting his hands in his jean jacket. 

“No.” He watched Baekhyun’s face. “But it’s not because of you so don’t flatter yourself.” He scoffed and Baekhyun grinned nodding along.

“Hey, let’s go for a walk.” Baekhyun sighed walking out of the room without taking a second glance back at him.

\--

Chanyeol took a second to realise he was the last one in the room as Baekhyun left, so the question must have been directed at him.

It wasn’t like he thought Baekhyun hated his guts. They have known each other since the day they opened their eyes, and even though their parents gave up on forcing them to be best friends for life, Baekhyun was somebody who was just… always there. Chanyeol couldn’t imagine a time in his life when the older boy hadn’t been around, or when he wasn’t going to be around. They used to have their childish banters and pranks, and there was a time when Chanyeol wanted nothing to do with Baekhyun... But he liked to think that being 16, basically adults now, those days were behind them. And it certainly wasn’t unpleasant to have someone around to talk to, Chanyeol thought to himself.

It was just new, that’s it.

“Wh-where are we going?” he asked, catching up to the slightly shorter boy. He wondered if Baek was going to grow anymore. He hoped not; the height difference would at least compensate the few months the other had on him.

“To the lake,” Baekhyun told him, shoving his hands in his pockets and watching the path in front of him. “I don’t want to be around Jin. And he can’t swim,” he glanced over to Chanyeol, almost as if he was waiting for him to understand something more from his words than what they actually meant.

“Uh, okay?” the younger boy chuckled. “But like, you’re not planning on drowning me, right?” he asked because his tipsy tongue was quicker than his mind. Being Baekhyun’s long time competition in class, Chanyeol was sometimes unsure of what the boy thought of him.

“Not today,” Baekhyun scoffed and the younger saw that he was biting back a smile. “That would be too obvious, wouldn’t it?”

“Maybe,” Chanyeol smiled down at his feet as they walked. The alcohol was doing funny things to his face, he could tell.

They were passing by people lying on the grass and others smoking something that smelled too unusual to be just cigarettes to Chanyeol and nobody paid them much attention. The music -- generic, not his style -- was still on max volume, but there were barely any people dancing at this point.

“How come your friend is not here by the way?” Chanyeol asked all of a sudden, only realising it now. Of course. Baekhyun and that friend of his -- what was his name again? Seok something -- were usually attached at the hip, despite the guy being in year 12 now. Which meant he should’ve been there.

“Business trip,” Baek shrugged, eyes wandering over the dark surface of the lake that was approaching them.

“What?” Chanyeol frowned. “He is, like, 18 though, isn’t he? What is he up to?”

“Learning the ropes, I guess?” he spoke, and somehow all the light was gone from his face. “I should have been there too but dad wanted me to have a childhood.”

Well. Chanyeol might have touched upon something he shouldn’t have. He knew Baekhyun’s father’s company had been flourishing the past few years and that Baekhyun was most probably going to follow him when the time comes. Everybody knew it. Just like Chanyeol could read the same things about himself in articles he stumbled upon. He knew exactly what Baekhyun felt.

“But hey,” he nudged his shoulder against the older boy’s who gave him a questioning look. “At least you are here now. Having fun with great people,” Chanyeol made sure to obviously straighten himself as he walked, earning a few centimetres with just that and he smiled reassuringly. “And the business will wait for you.”

“I guess… It is not that bad.” Baekhyun watched him with a soft chuckle and it made Chanyeol so proud.

They made the rest of the way to the water in comfortable silence and Chanyeol watched the sky. As they got farther and farther away from the lights of the camp, the stars became more visible and he stared in awe as the whole of the sky became dotted with them. Ah, how he wished they could just sit down and watch them.

He might have gotten a bit distracted because now they were at the side of the lake and Baekhyun wasted no time to-

“Let’s go,” he said cheerfully, getting rid of his shirt in one go and Chanyeol almost choked on his spit.

“What?!”

“Swimming, silly,” Baekhyun glanced up at him as he was undoing his pants, and the younger boy was pretty sure he was just kidding. He _ hoped _ he was.

“No, I’m- I won’t!” he held up two hands in front of him, but by now Baek was already kicking off his shoes and Chanyeol panicked a little.

“You don’t have to,” Baek shrugged, playful glint still in his eyes. “But I am going in,” he said, pushing his jeans on his ankles and shaking them off. When his hands reached for his boxers, Chanyeol had just enough time to spin around.

“Jesus, warn a guy,” he told him -- squealed, to be completely honest -- and he already felt flustered. Damn that alcohol.

“Why?” Baekhyun asked, trying to sound genuinely curious and Chanyeol refused to turn around. Baek just scoffed and the only sound that followed it was the water letting him in.

Oh god.

“You’re insane,” Chanyeol told him, only glancing at him for a moment to make sure he was not looking too explicit anymore, the water reaching up to his hips now.

“I might be,” Baekhyun chuckled, glancing at him over his shoulder.

“I don’t think this is allowed either,” Chanyeol went on, trying to sound reasonable. “Especially not while drunk...”

“I am not going deeper,” Baekhyun spoke, and even though Chanyeol couldn’t see his face perfectly in the dim lights, he was sure the other was smirking. “Besides, do you think underage drinking is allowed?”

“I- yeah…” Chanyeol admitted. “I mean no! But still…” he groaned, taking a careful glance back at the camp. Nobody seemed to be missing them. “You’re so careless.”

“Care for me then,” Baekhyun’s voice rang cheekily on the surface of the water and Chanyeol blushed a deeper shade of red. Why was he like that? Always so smart and an insufferable little- _ ugh. _

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he mumbled, slowly undoing his belt.

\--

Baekhyun turned around with a wide smile watching Chanyeol taking off his shirt and his jeans.

“What? Our nerdy boy is living it up?” He giggled slightly, splashing away in the water.

“First of all, if you think being called a nerd is offensive to me-” Chanyeol pointed at him and Baekhyun giggled louder.

“I don’t. Come on in.” He swam a little further, waiting for him to join. 

“Hey you said we won’t go deeper.” Chanyeol locked his arms in front of his chest.

“You can’t swim?” Baekhyun tilted his head, stopping just a few steps further from where he originally was. 

“O-of course I can!” Chanyeol barked at him defensively and Baek chuckled. 

“Just come in.” He waved him off, waiting for him patiently. The younger boy was standing there in his boxer briefs, arms wrapped around his torso as if hiding himself. “Is everything okay?” Baekhyun cocked a brow at him with a concerned voice. 

“Yeah,” He nodded, dropping his arms by his sides as he sighed. “Yes. It’s- nothing.” He shook his head and slowly made his way into the water, mouth falling open when he realized its temperature. Baekhyun smiled softly as he waited for him to reach him.

“I am proud of you.” Baekhyun giggled again once he was by his side and looked at Chanyeol with a cheeky grin.

“Am I supposed to feel exceptional now?” Chanyeol furrowed his brows, hands wrapping around him to warm himself up.

“Probably.” Baekhyun scoffed taking a side glance at him, a thoughtful pout on his lips, before splashing him fully with water.

Chanyeol gasped loudly, the cold water dripping down from his hair. He coughed a few times trying to catch some air and Baekhyun found the situation absolutely hilarious. He was laughing next to him, holding his stomach, his eyes closed shut and tears coming out. And Chanyeol didn’t need anything else. He took this opportunity to splash him back. Baekhyun swallowed some water and began coughing, his brows furrowed, ready to get his revenge.

“Oh you are on, Park.” He said before splashing him again.

They began chasing each other in the water, occasionally jumping on each other’s back trying to push one another below the water. The water itself didn’t feel cold anymore and they genuinely enjoyed every second of their careless play. 

In the background they could slightly still hear the retro mix playing from the speakers of the camp, sometimes even a loud fit of laughter reached them from a group of boys but they didn’t really care. The party for them was over, in the sense of drinking and smoking or getting high for that matter. 

As Baekhyun was clinging on Chanyeol’s back, arms wrapped around his neck, trying to push him down with his body weight, and Chanyeol twisting and turning around with him, trying to shake him off, they heard something different. It was two voices, a lot deeper and manlier than those of their friends and it was gradually getting closer to them.

“Shit.” Baekhyun mumbled falling off of Chanyeol’s shoulder. “Fuck.” He looked towards the bank, and saw two dark silhouettes approaching them. He knew he was about to get in trouble. Swimming was prohibited after 8 in the evening and it was so much later than that. “We have to hide.” He said grabbing Chanyeol’s wrist.

His eyes were racing around the open water, trying to find ways to hide themselves till his eyes landed on the pier close by. He pulled Chanyeol with himself quickly, and swam under the pier. There was not much space, just enough for the two of them to breathe, shoulders brushing against each other as they looked through the wooden piles of the pier.

“Oh god, we are _ so _ fucked, I told you we shouldn’t have-” Chanyeol whined and Baekhyun put his hand on his mouth to stop him from talking.

“Shush.” He silenced him, looking at him disapprovingly. 

The two men walked by the lake, talking happily and laughing all the way. Their words sounded slurred and drunk and Baekhyun’s heavily beating heart seemed to calm down just a little. Their voices got further and further away and Baekhyun let go of Chanyeol.

“Idiot, we were almost discovered.” He scolded him.

“Well if someone hadn’t been so reckless…” Chanyeol sulked and Baekhyun rolled his eyes.

“Act like you didn’t have fun.” He poked his cheek, his eyes wandering up to Chanyeol’s stray locks stuck to his forehead, some even reaching his eyes. Baekhyun pressed his lips together and absentmindedly reached out push it out of his eyes.

\--

Chanyeol held his breath as Baekhyun’s fingertips brushed against his skin. He was unable to take his eyes off of Baek. This was the first time he remembered finding himself so close to him. Well, other than their fight in the water some minutes ago, but that didn’t count. He couldn’t see his eyes back then. Or his lips.

God, his stomach was so tight… what the _ hell _was happening to him?

“What... are you doing?” he asked in a small whisper because he barely had air in his lungs for more in the moment.

“Get a haircut, punk,” Baekhyun mumbled, tucking Chanyeol’s hair behind his ear and there was so much affection in his voice that the younger didn’t know what to say. The fact that Baekhyun was being so intimate was not doing any good to his heart either.

“What if I don’t?” Chanyeol, miraculously, found the courage to ask him, letting a small smile settle in the corner of his lips. It was actually… nice. More than nice. Baekhyun stopped for a moment to blink at him but then just scoffed.

“Then soon you won’t see,” he replied, reaching up to fix a couple of more wet locks on the top of Chanyeol’s head. The younger smiled contently, watching Baekhyun’s face as he concentrated on carefully combing through his hair.

“Too bad this one can’t be blamed on the alcohol, isn’t it,” he muttered, not fully aware of what he was implying with that at first.

“Huh?” Baekhyun seemed to snap out of it, pulling away with a surprised expression and Chanyeol bit his tongue.

“Huh?” he mimicked, his ears instantly catching fire, he could feel that.

“What do you mean?” Baekhyun asked with a chuckle, suddenly turning shy. Chanyeol found it strangely endearing.

“I-” he started but stopped, thinking about something to say but frankly, nothing coherent came to his mind. His eyes wandered down on Baekhyun’s lips again. Because the boy had nice lips. That’s all. “My h-hair. Uh, that’s what I meant.”

Good job. Idiot.

“Ah,” Baekhyun hummed, scrunching up his face. Chanyeol was pretty sure this wasn’t the answer he was expecting but he wasn’t about to question it. “That’s true. Why are you growing it?” the older boy asked, hands fiddling with the water by his thighs and Chanyeol only now realised that he was actually still wearing his boxers. Good. That’s… good. He appreciated it.

“Why not?” he asked with a shrug, trying to look nonchalant. “My parents hate it. I’m trying to get it shoulder length in some months.”

“Rebel,” Baekhyun smirked at him, eyes never leaving his own and Chanyeol felt it again. That tight feeling in his stomach and chest that felt like it was trying to urge him to do something. If only Yeol had known what it meant...

“Nah,” Chanyeol looked down at the water, watching its waves for a second before glancing up at Baek again. “You know I’m a good boy.”

“You sure are,” Baekhyun grinned widely. “Breaking camp rules.”

“Hey, that’s all on you, though,” Chanyeol held up his hands in defence. He was grinning as well, for some unknown reason. “Tempting people like that…” he shook his head disapprovingly. “What a mean thing to do.”

“Maybe I am the bad boy then,” Baek tilted his head back, watching Chanyeol with smirk again and it made the younger boy’s stomach flip.

“Mhm,” Chanyeol stepped in, straightening himself to his full height which he knew was a couple of centimetres more than Baekhyun’s and looked back at him like that. “Quite a small one at that,” he chuckled.

This whole banter somehow felt so… natural. As if that was how they were supposed to be. Chanyeol didn’t know what to do with that thought.

\--

Baekhyun gasped, mouth falling open. Oh no, he did _ not _say that.

“I am like… _ only _3 centimeters shorter than you.” He scoffed, hands locking in front of his chest and pouting. 

“Let’s wait a week. It will be 6 by then.” Chanyeol smiled down at him and it made Baekhyun’s stomach turn… with disgust, he added to himself.

“Really? How so? Are you going to gel up your hair?” Baekhyun scoffed playfully, taking a glance back at his dumb hair. It was calling him to touch it.

“Stop insulting my hair! You’re just jealous.”

“Maybe I am.” Baekhyun smiled fondly at him, reaching out to fix it again. 

Baekhyun noticed how Chanyeol held his breath or how his muscles tensed up to his touch. He smiled, a lopsided smirk on his lips before pulling back again.

“Maybe we should get back.” He whispered softly.

“Uh, yeah…” Chanyeol looked away from him and Baekhyun nodded with pressed lips. He really didn’t want to, but it was getting late and the water was getting colder.

He swam out first, not taking a second glance over his shoulder because he knew he wouldn’t be able to leave. Chanyeol was somehow cute for himself. 

They got out of the water quickly, throwing on their jackets and pants, that soon got soaked as they touched their wet bodies. They made their way back to the camp in silence. The music was over now, hardly anyone was outside when they got back there, the campfire in the middle still glistening with a small flame. 

“So…” Baekhyun began, stopping in front of the fire to warm up a little. He was cautiously looking around in the meantime, scared of being caught. That at least distracted his mind because he had no idea what he wanted to say to Chanyeol and as long as he could postpone it he did. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

“Well, it’s archery day, isn’t it?” Chanyeol asked simply and Baekhyun nodded, despite not actually thinking about it. “So probably the same as you.”

“True. Let’s be in a team.” Baekhyun chirped happily, smiling at him with closed eyes as he swayed on his heels. 

“Mm maybe.” Chanyeol hummed and when Baekhyun opened his eyes again he could see his small smile.

“Good!” He nodded happily. “Goodnight then punk, see you tomorrow.” Baekhyun waved at him slightly, walking backwards slowly towards his bungalow. 

“Goodnight, Baek.” Chanyeol waved back at him before turning to their own units and leaving the campfire behind.


	2. Chapter 2

Most of the second week went by without much disturbance and Chanyeol was grateful. After the day when he skipped communal activities -- horse riding and tending to the animals --, he didn’t have much time to spend in his room. Baekhyun was somehow always around and at one point, he actually zipped the suitcase filled with books closed. He told Chanyeol he had a superpower of being able to tell if he opened it without permission. It wasn't like Chanyeol believed him… but it was better safe than sorry.

His guitar, though, spent more and more time outside with him and after a couple of nights singing and joking around by the campfire with the other boys, he got confident enough, too. Singing on stage was one thing. Singing while sitting next to Baekhyun who was harmonising with him and watching his face with a soft smile was a whole another one.

But there they were, the sun just setting behind the mountains, on the other side of the crystal clear lake and Chanyeol was strumming away contently while the others smoked, had a couple of beers and talked about girls.

“I swear, Hyuk,” one senior with glasses and a blond quiff explained with bright eyes. “She was all over me. I wanted to get out of the bed for a second and she sat on my lap and-”

“No one believes that, Joon,” another senior scoffed at him, taking a sip from his beer. “The closest you got to a woman was your mum and she still denies it every chance she gets,” he muttered with an evil smirk and the blond guy went beetroot red. There was a round of heartfelt laughter around the fire and Chanyeol chuckled to himself, too. Baekhyun, next to him, didn’t join it, he just kept humming to himself idly. Chanyeol would’ve preferred to listen to him than to the banter but there wasn’t much he could do about it.

“What about you, Chan?” a boy from their class, Minhyuk nodded at him, curious smile on his lips.

“Yeah, tell us,” the guy named ‘Joon’ was quick to join in, trying to get the attention off of himself. “You look like you’re a real heartbreaker.”

Another round of laughter, a little less genuine than before. Chanyeol saw Baekhyun glancing up at him from the corner of his eye.

“I don’t really- I’m not looking for anything right now,” Chanyeol replied curtly. Because he really wasn’t. He couldn’t remember a time when he was interested in any of the girls around him. Mrs Song said it was just a late-bloomer thing… just like most things in his life, the boy thought bitterly.

“Come on,” the fourth guy who was with them -- round-faced with a bad posture -- nudged his foot with his own while grinning, “there must be someone you fancy.”

Chanyeol had an idea about how that should go. If one is having a crush, he is supposed to get breathless around that girl, feel those butterflies in his stomach and want to spend all his time with her. That’s what movies and Mrs Song told him all the time. But it never personally happened to him… except-

“Drop it,” Baekhyun grunted from next to him and Chanyeol stole a glance at him. His face was now somehow serious, despite the lighthearted nature of the talk. And he obviously avoided eye contact.

“Oh, but  _ you  _ don’t really have to tell us about your little flings, do you?” the stoic senior was measuring Baek up and down as he put his cigarette between his lips. “Everybody knows about them anyway. Our very own ladies’ man.”

“Ladies’ man?” Chanyeol frowned, watching Baek questioningly.

“It’s nothing serious,” he told Chanyeol reassuringly and- why was he trying to be reassuring in the first place?

“Rumour has it our sweet little Baekhyunnie had a girlfriend 3 years older than him just last semester,” Joon butted in, excitedly poking Chanyeol’s arm. Huh. That was new to him.

“I didn’t,” Baek told him coldly, face unreadable.

“You so did,” Joon cooed at him and took a swig of his beer.

“I am not the one with mommy issues, Joon,” Baekhyun gave him one glance and even Chanyeol could feel his blood run cold in his veins. Wow.

“Huh,” Joon blinked at him before forcing a chuckle and taking a quick look around the boys. “Aren’t you now.”

“Don’t make me tell them what you did last summer,” Baek smirked at the guy with a wicked glint in his eyes.

“You- would not,” Joon stared at him, lips a bit agape and now Chanyeol  _ really _ wanted to know. And he wasn’t the only one. He could see all the others stopping in their messing around to listen to what Baekhyun had to say. Chanyeol couldn’t imagine what having so much power must have felt like.

“You know,” Baekhyun shrugged, smile widening as if he had known he won already. “That bike of yours looks good.”

There was a ten second break, where the two boys just stared at each other, Joon more intently than Baek but somehow, it was obvious who would win the round. Joon huffed, reaching into his back pocket with the most displease on his face that Chanyeol had ever seen and threw his keys at the boy. Baekhyun winked at him and stood up, turning towards the garages next to the main building.

“Who wants a ride?” Baekhyun asked cockily.

“Son of a- if you  _ dare _ to even scratch her-” Joon started but Baek raised a hand at him and he fell silent instantly. Chanyeol grinned to himself, eyes meeting Baekhyun’s and the older boy nodded at the general direction of the building.

“Uh, take care of it for me?” he asked from anyone who would listen as he laid his guitar on the blanket and stood up to follow Baekhyun who was already walking away.

\--

Baekhyun opened the door of the garages, Chanyeol just catching up to him that moment. He looked up at him, before pushing the button on the keys and the motorbike’s reflector flashed to life. Baekhyun smiled excitedly, walking over to it, running a finger down on the leather handbars, before grabbing them and pushing it out. 

“I’m excited!” Baekhyun squealed like a little kid, throwing his leg over the bike and sitting down on it, fingers running down on the matte paint adoringly.

“But uh, you  _ do _ know how to drive, right?” Chanyeol asked, a bit worriedly as he watched him from the side. Baekhyun leaned forward on the seat, grabbing the hand bars.

“How different is it from the racing games?” He cocked a brow at Chanyeol jokingly.

“Well, you can die.” Chanyeol pointed out the obvious with furrowed brows.

“I am getting my license.” Baekhyun sighed shaking his head. “Don’t worry about me.” He added, turning on the engine. The bike was surprisingly more silent than he thought it would be. “Wanna join?”

“Depends on where you wanna take me.” Chanyeol replied and Baekhyun’s heart jumped a beat. 

“Around the lake…” Baekhyun shrugged. “I dunno I don’t really think ahead.” 

“Well now you should.” Chanyeol nodded and Baekhyun pouted. “Around the lake is okay. I guess.” He replied and Baekhyun’s eyes lit up.

“Good! Hop on!” He motioned with his head excitedly.

“Please stop bouncing. It’s distracting.” Chanyeol replied, clenching his fists before he got on the bike behind Baekhyun.

“Hold onto me.” Baekhyun smiled over his shoulder, eyes almost disappearing. 

“Uh…” Chanyeol huffed before chuckling. “Alright.” He replied, his arms wrapping around Baekhyun’s torso weakly. Baekhyun gulped a little before letting go of the handbar and taking Chanyeol’s hands in his own, making them lace together on his stomach.

“There. A lot better.” Baekhyun smiled fondly to himself, taking the wheel again and kicking the bike to life. “Let’s go!” He yelled excitedly as he started to drive away.

\--

Chanyeol would have sworn he was going to fall off. The motorbike was pretty big and Baekhyun would’ve looked funny on it, had it not been for the fact that he actually looked pretty… yeah. Pretty.

He was also probably holding on to Baekhyun’s torso a bit tighter than necessary, but with his eyes shut and cheek flush against the other’s shoulder, he couldn’t tell.

“Isn’t it pretty?” Baek asked with a smile in his voice and Chanyeol huffed.

“It sure is,” he replied and he was quite surprised how relaxed Baekhyun felt against him. The thought gave him a little twist in his stomach.

“You have your eyes closed, don’t you?” Baek chuckled, nuzzling the top of Chanyeol’s head with his cheek fondly.

“Yep,” there was no point in lying anyway. However, with the other talking to him, Chanyeol felt his limbs gradually coming back to life from their nervous stiffness.

“Don’t be scared, Yeollie,” Baekhyun said softly, a hand sneaking its way on Chanyeol’s thigh on his left and the younger swallowed.  _ Yeollie. _

Peering up, he caught a glance of the lake, shimmering in the golden rays of the setting sun, and he had to admit it was beautiful. They were quite far from the bungalows now, making their way on the narrow dirt road that led them among the trees. Chanyeol was breathless, carefully raising his head to look at the massive branches leaning above them high up the trees. He saw how the last cloud that managed to reach the sun swam across it idly and he let himself slip closer to Baekhyun, basically wrapping his whole body around the other boy.

“Beautiful,” he muttered, resting the side of his face against the back of Baekhyun’s neck and he felt his chest so, so full of happiness at that moment.

“This is what you miss out on reading your books all day, nerd,” Baek told him, thumb brushing across Chanyeol’s knee.

“Yeah…” the younger’s smile faded a little. Right.

He hated the fact that camp was going to end in little over a week. He wasn’t ready to go back to Seoul just yet; he didn’t need the manor or all his fancy possessions, and certainly didn’t want to start school again. It would mean everything was going back to how it was before, and it made his throat close up. It couldn’t be. Not after he saw what else is there to it all.

“Try to enjoy life, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun spoke, and after one last squeeze on his knee, his hand was back on the handle, taking a turn to the right. They were almost halfway across the lake. “If you ever get too caught up with school,” Baek turned a little towards him and Chanyeol could see the small smile on his lips, “you know where to find me.”

“I will,” the younger replied without giving it a second thought as he held onto Baekhyun, feeling like he was never going to let him go.

\--

_ Baekhyun was smiling, the rays of sunshine warming up his cheeks. He felt overly happy and giddy. Chanyeol was sitting next to him, their hands in between their bodies, fingers intertwined with each other. He was swinging his legs, feet touching the water below the pier where they were sitting. They didn’t say a single word, but them being so close to each other, spoke louder than words. He felt his blood rushing in his veins, his whole body felt like it was on fire and he couldn’t wipe the stupid grin from his face. _

_ He looked to his side, eyes falling on Chanyeol’s puffy cheeks, hair falling into his eyes and he seemed so happy and peaceful and Baekhyun was in love with the sight itself. Not much later, the taller boy looked at him out of the corner of his eyes, lips curling into a wide grin before turning his head to look at him. Baekhyun giggled as their eyes met, leaning his forehead on his shoulder, his free hand brushing along his arm. _

_ He tilted his head back up, raising his chin a little to look a few centimeters taller and only then he realized how close Chanyeol really was. His face was just mere centimeters away from Baekhyun’s own, lips pursed and he could feel his breath on his own chapped lips. Baekhyun’s breathing hitched, leaning in and inching closer, lips almost touching when… _

He heard a quiet noise, calling out his name in the dark. It took him some moments to get back to his senses. He was in his camp bed, in the dark and he sensed someone sitting right next to his bed, voice barely above whisper and it took him a minute to realize who it was. 

“Chanyeol…?” He asked unsurely, squinting his eyes at the silhouette of a messy hair and hunched shoulders, kneeling just a few centimeters away from him.

“Ah, you’re awake!” Chanyeol exclaimed excitedly, voice hushed, trying his best not to wake up his roommate. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Baekhyun stretched, smiling softly. “Why are you awake?”

“Couldn’t sleep.” He shook his head before he went on. “I was thinking…” Baekhyun supported himself up on his elbow, looking at him interestedly. 

“About?” He chuckled lightly, waiting for an answer impatiently.

“I wanna-” Chanyeol begun, his little tale cut short with a sigh. “Okay, now that I think about it, it’s not, uh, the best idea I’ve ever had… but like… would you like to go stargazing?” He asked softly, his voice almost disappearing and if it hadn’t been so quiet that night, Baekhyun would have missed the last bit. “With me.”

Baekhyun’s heart fluttered, he must have been still dreaming. How could this happen? Chanyeol asking him to go out after curfew to watch the stars? Sounded unrealistic but it made Baekhyun excited nevertheless.

“Rebelling?” He chuckled. 

“Maybe… I just wanna, you know. 'Live a little'.” Chanyeol added and Baekhyun could particularly hear his cheeky smile.

“That’s nice to hear.” Baekhyun smiled adoringly, knowing all to well that Chanyeol couldn’t see it in the dark before he climbed out of bed, putting on his slippers. “What are we waiting for then?”

“Oh you actually-” Chanyeol stuttered, standing up. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

Baekhyun smiled, pushing past the taller boy and walking to the front door of the bungalow. He looked around, making sure that the coast was clear before walking out and motioning Chanyeol to follow. 

\--

Even though it was Chanyeol’s idea, he was glad Baekhyun was willing to lead. That was a thing about the older boy; Chanyeol knew he could trust him. For once in his life he didn’t have to be fully in charge of everything and it was somehow quite… comforting. Especially because he had no idea how to go against rules, for one.

“So you know a place?” he asked in a hushed voice, and he felt like the two of them were secret agents, maneuvering around the dark camp. Maybe he watched too many films.

“We can go to the roof of the cafeteria,” Baekhyun glanced at him behind his shoulder, giving him a confident grin as he saw what must have been Chanyeol’s baffled expression. “It is really risky but you get the best view from there!” the older boy reassured him, and Chanyeol swallowed.

Sneaking out with Baekhyun at night was one thing. Getting his butt kicked and his parents collecting him one night before the camp ended because he did something pretty illegal was another.

“Let’s go,” he muttered nonetheless, and Baekhyun’s smile brightened, taking his hand and tugging him along. The two of them ended up behind the bungalows where the camp was surrounded by the pine forest of the mountain and they sneaked to the common building.

“So, uh…” Chanyeol mumbled, watching from behind a tree as someone passed by the thick darkness of the cafeteria. It was most probably a guard, he thought to himself, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. “How do we do this?”

“We make a run for it,” Baekhyun explained, motioning towards the huge trash containers at the back of the building. “On the count of three. Three!” and he shot off, directly at the building and Chanyeol gasped before following him.

He caught up to him in a second, and they got to the containers at the same time.

“Damn, you’re fast,” he leaned against the wall with his back, hoping he would melt into the darkness just as Baekhyun did next to him, and the two of them giggled. Chanyeol couldn’t see his features clearly, but Baek was grinning widely and it made the younger’s heart beat a little faster as well.

“You too,” Baek nodded and after a moment of silence he pushed himself away from the wall, looking around swiftly. “Now,” he turned back at Yeol, “you see that ladder around the corner?”

Chanyeol squinted and nodded. Starting at about one and a half metres off the ground, the metal ladder on the wall of the building seemed to lead right up to the roof.

“Seems easy enough,” he spoke, voice not quite trusting. It seemed  _ too _ easy, actually.

\--

Baekhyun grinned up at him, folding his arms in front of his chest and cocking a brow at him.

“I am glad you think that because you go first.” Baekhyun nodded with his head towards the ladder watching as Chanyeol looked into its direction before back at him.

“I thought you’d need me to help you up on the ladder…” Chanyeol beamed and Baekhyun gawked at him.

“What? I am not that small!” He huffed, furrowing his brows. “Dummy.”

“Of course not.” Chanyeol chuckled lightly, stupid grin on his face and Baek could feel his cheeks burning.

“Just go! You are all talk, aren’t you?” Baekhyun tilted his head back, raising his chin to provoke him a little.

“I- I’m obviously not.” Chanyeol stattered, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth, looking around, clearly hesitating. Baekhyun’s lips curled into a lazy smile and as soon as Chanyeol noticed it he scoffed, walking to the ladder and unsurely climbing up on it. 

Baekhyun followed him close, guarding the ladder as Chanyeol carefully climbed up on it. As soon as he was up, he was quick to follow, climbing with ease as if he has been doing this his whole life. Well, it wasn’t far from the truth, Baekhyun tended to sneak up the roof of the school with Minseok. It was their getaway from the stress and worries they had in life, always striving to be the best at everything, making their parents proud.

“What do you think?” Baekhyun jumped on the roof, a sly smirk on his face as he looked at Chanyeol, his mouth agape as he stared up at the night sky.

“I-” Chanyeol gasped, eyes never leaving the sky as Baekhyun slowly walked next to him.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” He whispered, as he looked up at the stars just as well. He loved the night sky, but they never got such a breathtaking view in Seoul due to light pollution. The only times he saw the sky was when he was on their little farm with his dad.

“I have never-” Baekhyun didn’t miss the way Chanyeol’s whole face lit up. “There are so  _ many, _ it’s unbelievable!” He said excitedly.

“I know.” Baekhyun giggled. “Come on.” He said, dragging him by his wrist to walk him to the middle of the roof so that they were out of sight for any passersby. As soon as they reached the perfect spot Baekhyun sat down, pulling Chanyeol after him.

“I thought we would see like… the Dippers and  _ Capricornus _ at max…” Chanyeol sighed, eyes still fixed on the skyline as he sat down, pulling his legs up and hugging them close to his chest, mouth agape.

“The… what did you just say?” Baekhyun asked with a confused expression, tilting his head.

“Constellations.” Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun briefly. “I know quite a few of them, the big ones at least. It’s not really… anything useful, but…” Chanyeol looked at his legs, shrugging slightly.

“But it is interesting!” Baekhyun poked his side. “I never know any of them. I am really bad at these.” He chuckled shyly before he hummed and went on. “Tell me about them, please.”

“Oh, it’s really easy though!” Chanyeol face lit up again and Baekhyun grinned happily. “For example…” He pursed his lips before pointing up the stars. “There! That huge bright rectangle? That’s the Big Dipper.”

Baekhyun squinted his eyes, trying to follow where Chanyeol was pointing to. 

“There?” He asked pointing at a similar direction but he wasn’t quite sure he saw what Chanyeol was talking about. Nothing looked like a rectangle.

“No, a little to the left.” Chanyeol shook his head a little, before he scooted closer, taking Baekhyun’s slim wrist in his hands and pointing it out. Baekhyun’s blood rushed into his ears and he really had to try his best to hear what the other boy was about to say. “The story says she was a nymph, the lover of Zeus.”

“Wait…” Baekhyun furrowed his brows. “Do all stars have a story?” 

“Of course they do.” Chanyeol nodded. “She, for example had a son. Zeus’ wife couldn’t stand concurrence… look.” Chanyeol took his hand again, directing him elsewhere. “Five times the distance of the corner stars to the north… there he is. The Small Dipper.” He said happily. “That bright star in it, see?” He asked and Baekhyun nodded excitedly. “That’s the North Star.”

“Ah! I heard about that one before!” Baekhyun exclaimed excitedly. “How can you say this isn’t useful? This is so much fun!” Baekhyun smiled at him sweetly, his eyes disappearing.

\--

Chanyeol’s eyes remained on Baekhyun’s face, taking it all in for a moment before the butterflies in his chest became too much to bear and he let his gaze return on the sky.

He wasn’t exaggerating, he had never seen all the stars so clearly before. With the tremendous amount of pre-studying and extra work he did, he never actually had the time to get out of the city and see the constellations he read so much about for himself.

He was happy the first time turned out to be like this.

“And here, around him, there’s  _ Draco, _ the dragon,” Chanyeol went on, now naturally using Baekhyun’s hand to draw out the long form of the serpent. “This is more difficult to see but if you follow closely, it’s there. It was the guardian of the garden of the Hesperides. Tough guy,” he smiled to himself, completely mesmerised by the view.

“That’s so cool!” Baek giggled, actually seeming interested and even excited about what Chanyeol was about to say next and it filled the younger’s chest with pride he never quite felt before. The other was actually paying attention.

“Can you spot any? Like, see something that might, you know, belong together?” Chanyeol asked softly, letting go of Baekhyun’s wrist so that the shorter boy could figure it out himself.

“Mmm…” Baekhyun watched the sky intently, and Chanyeol felt a strange excitement, as if he was a child again, showing off his favourite toys and waiting for his new friend to decide which one they wanted to play with that day. “That, next to the Small Dipper!” he raised his finger again, gasping a little. “It looks like a…” he started, bit unsure about it, tilting his head to the side to examine it more carefully. “A house I drew in kindergarten.”

“Oh yes,” Chanyeol chuckled.  _ “Cepheus. _ He was a king… I don’t actually know much about him,” he mumbled, his ears tingling warmly before he quickly went on. “But he had a daughter! She’s up there, too,” he pointed a little farther away from the small dipper, the neat line of stars lying close to the horizon.  _ “Andromeda, _ sitting on  _ Pegasus. _ The myth says she used to be really beautiful,” he reassured Baekhyun, suddenly feeling like he had something to prove here. “She still is.”

“She sure is,” Baek nodded, watching Chanyeol’s profile from where he was hugging his knees to his chest.

For some moments they sunk into a comfortable silence, and Chanyeol was so happy about it. It wasn’t everyday that he could just sit together with someone, without the either of them talking, just enjoying each other’s company… and that it came with the endless sea of stars above them, it just seemed too good to be true.

With a breeze ruffling through the canopies of the trees, though, Chanyeol could hear as Baekhyun hissed a little, pulling himself tighter together and that’s when he realised. Baek was only wearing his thin, cotton pyjamas and his slippers. The night weather was nice but not  _ that _ nice.

“Oh, I’m sorry- let me just-” he babbled, feeling a little embarrassed that he got so lost in the stars that he didn’t realise Baek was freezing. He zipped his jacket down, and was about to pull it off when Baekhyun’s hand was on his.

“No. You will get cold, dummy,” Baek said, cold fingers shooing his own away from the zipper and there was a strange endearment in how he called Chanyeol dummy. As if the word meant something completely different from his mouth.

“Okay, let’s go then,” he spoke, standing up swiftly. There would be another time for his constellations. He really didn’t want Baekhyun to get sick, especially not because of him. The stars could wait.

\--

Baekhyun looked up at him, pouting slightly.

“Don’t wanna.” He shook his head briefly, his tone more whiny than he intended it to be. In all honesty, he could have listened to Chanyeol talk about the stars all night long and he wasn’t quite ready to stop listening to him. If anything he would love to wait till the sun comes up.

“But…” Chanyeol hesitated. “It’s too cold for you like this.”

“Do you trust me?” Baekhyun asked unsurely, locking eyes with Chanyeol as he tilted his head up at him. 

“I do.” He nodded instantly, a little too fast and Baekhyun smiled at him shyly.

“Then sit down.” Baekhyun pat the spot next to himself, biting his lower lip. It’s insane, it’s dumb but this is what he feels like doing. 

“O-okay.” Chanyeol stuttered, coughing a little to regain his voice as he sat back down next to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun sighed, looking into a completely different direction, before he scooted closer to Chanyeol. He inched closer and closer until his back hit his chest and he yelped a little, biting down on his lip instantly. He leaned back, taking Chanyeol’s right arm and cuddling into his side, placing his hand on his lap. He played with Chanyeol’s fingers with shaky hands, his heart beating faster, shiver going down on his spine as he felt Chanyeol’s breath on the back of his neck.

“I-is it okay?” He asked hesitantly, and was ready to sit back up the minute Chanyeol said so. 

“It’s-” Chanyeol begun and Baekhyun stiffened. “Nice, yeah. Not so cold now?”

Baekhyun shook his head quickly, too quickly it almost gave him a whiplash. His whole body felt like it was on fire now.

“It’s warm… yeah.” Baekhyun coughed a little, clearing his throat because he sounded so weak. “S-so tell me more…”

“Ah, more?” Chanyeol asked and Baekhyun nodded.

“Yeah, about the stars… tell me.” Baekhyun leaned back more, getting more comfortable, trying to act like it was all natural. Meanwhile, his heart in his chest went crazy.

“Oh.” Chanyeol chuckled lightly. “Right. The stars.” He added as his hold around Baekhyun’s body tightened and Baekhyun forgot to breathe for a moment then.

“D-do you want to talk about something else?” Baekhyun asked, turning his head a little to the side to look at him. “We can.”

“What do you have in mind?” Chanyeol asked, eyes now fixed on Baekhyun’s hands playing with his slender fingers absentmindedly. 

“Dunno.” He shrugged lightly. “Do you want to tell me why didn’t you come to horse riding?” 

“Oh I just…” Chanyeol scoffed. “Didn’t really feel like getting thrown on the ground and be stomped to death by hooves today.” He explained swiftly and Baekhyun furrowed his brows. “Horses are evil.” He added as a conclusion and Baekhyun turned to him instantly.

“No, they aren’t.” He shook his head. “Have you ever given them a chance?”

“There’s a story about a small chubby boy and the time an innocent looking shetland betrayed him but that’s deeply personal and for another day.” Chanyeol sighed, flashing Baekhyun a soft smile at the end.

“I would love to hear that story one day.” Baekhyun smiled at him fondly, and he felt butterflies flying around in his stomach as his eyes scanned Chanyeol’s face. 

“You will.” Chanyeol nodded and for a moment they fell into silence, eyes locked on each other before the taller boy continued on. “What happens after… this?”

“After what?” Baekhyun’s voice was hardly above a whisper and the closeness of the other reminded him of the time they were hiding beneath the pier.

“Camp.” Chanyeol whispered back. “When we go home.” He explained and his voice was so little, Baekhyun wanted nothing but to protect him from the world.

“What would happen?” Baekhyun shrugged slightly. “We continue to be friends, won’t we?” 

“I- dunno…” Chanyeol looked down, his hand slipping into Baekhyun’s own. “You have friends at home and all…”

“You are my friend too.” Baekhyun smiled at him happily. “I like you a lot.” He said, words slipping past his lips and as soon as they were out, the butterflies erupted in his stomach once again. He blushed slightly, eyes turning into crescents.

\--

Chanyeol didn’t know -- he didn’t have the experience in confessions like this one to be able to tell -- if Baekhyun was really being honest here, but he really,  _ really  _ wanted it to be the case.

“Me too,” he whispered back, urging feeling in his chest never vanishing. “I like you too,” he told him in a mumble. His fingers around Baekhyun’s hand kept rubbing at his skin absentmindedly, as if it was something he was just supposed to do, something that seemed right.

“Really?” Baekhyun squeaked a little, smile threatening to split his face at this point and Chanyeol wondered if Baek felt anything close to what was going on in his heart.

“Really,” he chuckled, letting his forehead drop on Baekhyun’s shoulder in front of him. His cheeks were burning and he didn’t trust the darkness to hide it all from Baek’s sight.

“Yeollie that’s so cute!” Baekhyun giggled, hand coming up to pat Chanyeol’s hair just above his ear and the younger stopped breathing for a second.

“We’re almost the same age…” he tried weakly, even though there were worse things to be called than ‘Yeollie’... especially if it came from Baekhyun.

“You don’t like nicknames?” Baek asked, voice a bit more serious now and oh how Chanyeol wished he hadn’t said a word.

“Depends,” he mumbled as he could feel his cheeks warming Baek’s shirt. The other kept running his fingers down his hair gently and Chanyeol found it pretty hard to concentrate on anything else.

“Depends on what?” Baekhyun asked patiently.

“On the who, what and why,” he replied. Oh god, what was he getting himself into?

“What about me, calling you Yeollie, because I like that nickname a lot,” Baekhyun spoke gently, carding his fingers through the hair on the back of his head now. “Yeol and Yeollie,” he added after a moment of thinking, “both of them.”

“Mm,” Chanyeol hummed in approval. Both of his words and actions at the moment. “And what should I call you?”

“Whatever you want to call me.”

And that being absolutely unhelpful, Chanyeol chuckled.

“We’ll figure it out,” he said, an unsaid promise for the two of them. After they go home, they can figure it all out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why did you say me?” He asked leaning his head to the back of the wardrobe, his heart annoyingly beating in his chest. 
> 
> “Was it too much? I’m sorry if- I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable…” Chanyeol slurred over his own words and Baekhyun sighed. “But… it’s true.” He added silently and Baekhyun’s eyes widened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last chapter! woo!  
warnings: a rollercoaster, as always. it's just as sweet as bitter. read with love ♡

Last day was about to end with a boom. The seniors performed their acts, some were overly well done while others didn’t give a single care about the performance. Even the supervisors didn’t care about what was about to happen on the last day. They made the announcement right before the first performance that as long as no one gets hurt, they are okay with anything.

The seniors seemed to know that and they came prepared with spirits, already opening their cans of beer as the first performer stepped up on the stage. Baekhyun looked around the crowd. He was late, he thought to himself and before he knew it Jin landed next to him. Not exactly what he was waiting for. He handed him a can of beer, already opened and another one closed. Baekhyun picked the still closed can and nodded curtly at Jin.

“How is last day going?” Jin leaned in to ask, and Baekhyun could already smell the whiskey on his breath. 

“Been good so far.” Baekhyun responded sharply. “Have you seen Chanyeol?”

“That nerd?” Jin scoffed taking a long sip from his drink. “Why, you miss him?”

“Forget I asked anything.” Baekhyun rolled his eyes deciding to focus on the performances on the stage. He could feel Jin’s burning gaze on his cheeks but he tried to ignore it. 

After three performances another boy sat down next to him and Baek took a side glance at him before recognizing him and smiling at him sweetly. Here he is, he thought.

“Do you ever leave him alone?” Jin barked at Chanyeol angrily.

“Well, do you?” Chanyeol cocked a brow at him, his hands resting on his lap, fidgeting with his fingers. Baekhyun suddenly found himself in a warzone. 

“Pathetic.” Jin huffed, clicking his tongue and turning his head away from them.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself…” Chanyeol’s grumpy mumble was hardly audible but unfortunately it didn’t pass by Jin.

“What the fuck did you just say?” Jin shot a glance at him.

Baekhyun was sure that they will get into a fight, or at least Jin will but luck was on his side that day as the announcer asked the next performer, Jin, to get up on the stage. After a minute long staring contest between him and Chanyeol, he got up with a huff and walked up the stage.

“Just what was that?” Baekhyun chuckled, completely confused by the situation. 

“I don’t like him.” Chanyeol shrugged, looking away from Baekhyun.

“I see that.” He chuckled again. “Why is that, if I may ask?”

Chanyeol stared at him in silence, his eyes scanning every inch of his face. Baekhyun’s smile dropped as he could hardly hear Jin’s performance due to his heart beating in his ear before Chanyeol replied to him.

“Just a gut feeling.” He shrugged again looking down at his lap. “He’s not a good guy.”

“Well,” Baekhyun scoffed. “You are not at all wrong.”

\--

About half an hour and a couple of beers later, not many people were interested in the performances anymore. That including Chanyeol and Baekhyun who were making their way between the bungalows, giggling about whatever stupid story the older boy was telling. He seemed to have a bunch of those, with his best friend Minseok -- now Yeol knew the name -- and some other people he considered friends. And Chanyeol would listen to all of them with a wide grin.

Wow, so that’s why people are so keen on alcohol, he thought to himself at one point. It makes being sociable so much easier.

“Yo, guys,” a short, hammered sophomore jogged up to them, looking like he was on a mission and he grabbed Chanyeol’s upper arm. “C’mon, we playin,” he slurred, nodding towards one of the only buildings that had the lights on inside.

“Uh, what you playing?” Chanyeol asked, even though he doubted the guy would care to reply. He seemed to be determined to get everyone he could inside.

“Truth o' dare!” he grinned back at him over his shoulder and they were already stumbling towards the bungalow. Chanyeol glanced at Baekhyun who just smiled, clearly more drunk than after the previous two showcases, which was fortunate, because Chanyeol felt the same way, too.

As they opened the door to the common room, Chanyeol could smell that smell again. Baekhyun told him it was the smoke of weed and yes, there were a couple of people passing a joint around in the wide and thick circle they were sitting in. He gulped.

They didn’t really realise the two of them joined -- the senior left, most probably to get even more people -- and they could just nicely settle on two cushions on the floor. Chanyeol felt the weight of Baekhyun’s drunk head on his shoulder and he didn’t think much about it, just leaned his own on top of it. He closed his eyes and let a smile settle on his lips. It was nice.

“Chanyeol,” in some moments -- minutes? he didn’t know -- he could hear his name being shrieked over the general noise of the room and he grunted. It must have been another Chanyeol. But squinting his eyes, he could see Joon looking at him from across the circle and grinning stupidly. “Truth or dare?”

“Dare,” he replied instantly, a strange, sinister confidence speaking for him and he felt Baekhyun flinch a little by his side.

“Hm,” Joon watched him with a funny expression and Chanyeol had a feeling he chose the wrong one. “3 shots. Vodka. In a row.”

The people cheered, one freshman -- pretty eager to fill the small shot glasses -- was already by his side, handing him two of the three. Baekhyun looked a little concerned as he sat up and watched him.

“How bad is vodka?” Chanyeol mumbled to him, smelling it for the first time.

“Not the best,” Baekhyun smiled at him weakly and Chanyeol had the urge to pull him back close again but he fought it and downed the first shot without another thought.

It burned.

He coughed a little, feeling the last drops of it on his fingers but not for long because he was handed the other one and he knew he needed to drink it right then.

He did, and surprisingly, the second one wasn’t as bad. He took a glance at Baekhyun’s face as he quickly downed the last one as well, almost unable to swallow it but he did nonetheless. He could hear another round of cheers around him and feel Baekhyun’s hand on his arm, patting him smoothingly. God, he never wanted to have that devil of a drink ever again.

“You ask now!” someone with a deep and rich voice yelled with a laugh and Chanyeol shook his head. Right.

“Baek,” he spoke the only name that came in his mind and opened his eyes to see a very surprised Baekhyun in front of him. “Truth or, uh, dare.”

“Dare,” Baekhyun told him, just as instantly as Yeol did when he was asked and it got the younger boy thinking. There were things he would’ve liked to ask from him, had he said ‘truth’. But now they were stuck with boring things.

“10 push ups,” Chanyeol replied, letting his eyes drop on Baekhyun’s front and then back at his face. “Shirtless.”

\--

Baekhyun was taken aback by the sudden request. He looked around the room, all eyes fixed on him. What was there to do? If he doesn’t do the dare they will make him regret it for sure. He sighed taking off his shirt with one swift motion, thinking about how difficult push ups will be, being drunk.

“Here I go.” He sighed, getting into position, looking at the ground swaying beneath him. 

“1… 2… 3…” The boys begun counting together as he did his push ups. The first six was easy but after the seventh one he struggled, arms getting wobbly and almost giving up. He collapsed on his elbows right after the tenth one and closed his eyes to catch his breath. 

“I would have rather done the shots.” He chuckled and motioned for a drink, anything at that moment. “Woojin, truth or dare.” He went on after taking a sip from his beer but his eyes weren’t on Woojin. They were on Chanyeol and soon he found himself in a staring contest with the younger one.

A few more rounds went on where they discovered that Woojin hadn’t had his first kiss yet, made Joon streak and Tae to do a handstand while drinking beer. They laughed together, their laughter filling up the camp and being carried away by the wind. Baekhyun was relieved that Jin wasn’t around, he felt a lot more comfortable then. Chanyeol had his head in his lap, the three vodkas and many beers doing its work and Baekhyun played with his hair fondly. He wondered why they weren’t closer before… all of the past years seemed like a fever dream compared to now.

“Chanyeol,” Woojin’s voice made Baekhyun to look at him and Chanyeol’s eyes fluttered open. “Truth or dare.”

“Dunno… truth.” He nuzzled his face on Baekhyun’s thigh and the older smiled at him fondly.

“If all the guys from this camp were girls,” Woojin begun with a devilish grin. “who would you kiss?” Baekhyun’s eyes widened before they landed back from Woojin to Chanyeol.

“Weird question buuuut. I would kiss….” He dragged his words, turning to his back from his side so he can look up at Baekhyun. “You.”

Baekhyun’s mouth ran dry instantly, the guys begun gaping around them. His heart was about to jump out of his chest, but when he saw Chanyeol smiling at him so softly… he relaxed, smiling down at him. 

“Baekhyun, truth or dare!” Joon butted in and Baekhyun whipped his head in his direction.

“It’s not your turn yet!” He retorted but Joon shook his head as if he was not even listening.

“I dare you to spend 7 minutes in heaven with Chanyeol.” He pointed at them and Baekhyun’s mouth fell open. Before he could get to his defense, the boys started chanting around them, encouraging him to do as he was told to.

“Stop!” He whined desperately but to no use.

“What are you? Scared?” Joon cocked a bow at him and Baekhyun flinched. No. Fuck he is not.

“Okay, let’s do it.” Baekhyun nudged the sleepy Chanyeol off his lap.

The two of them were followed to the empty room of the bungalow, the one that had a wardrobe in it. Usually seniors lived in that room, but for personal reasons they had to leave right after the talent show. Joon opened the door to them, signaling them to climb in. Baekhyun rolled his eyes annoyedly and climbed in, sitting on the ground with pulled up legs and Chanyeol soon followed.

“See you in seven minutes.” Joon singsonged closing the door on them. Baekhyun heard how they moved a chair in front of the door before their chatter got further and with a shut of the door they were gone. He huffed out angrily as soon as he knew they weren’t in there. What was he supposed to do now?

“So…” Chanyeol spoke up and it made Baekhyun flinch a little as if he was not aware of him being there… well being so close for that matter. “What’s happening now?”

“I dunno…” Baekhyun shrugged. It was really dark in there, some light simmered through the door’s gaps, just enough to make out the silhouette right next to him.  “Why did you say me?” He asked leaning his head to the back of the wardrobe, his heart annoyingly beating in his chest. 

“Was it too much? I’m sorry if- I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable…” Chanyeol slurred over his own words and Baekhyun sighed. “But… it’s true.”  He added silently and Baekhyun’s eyes widened.

“You-” He begun but the words got caught in his throat. “You would kiss me? If I were a girl I mean.” He coughed adding quickly. 

“W-would you mind?” Chanyeol stuttered, his hands playing shakily on his knees.

“I- no.” Baekhyun replied after a minute long silence. What is he saying? He wouldn’t?! “No, definitely not.”

\--

Chanyeol’s heart had long been playing staccato inside his ribcage now, but he wasn’t expecting that.

“If you were…” he started but his voice died down. He tried to pretend his hand wasn’t looking for Baekhyun’s between their bodies on the floor. When his fingers touched flesh, though, he swallowed.

“If I were?” Baekhyun whispered, running his fingers along Chanyeol’s palm and the younger felt his ears being so hot that he had to put his free hand over it under his too long hair.

“These stupid- I’ll get them fixed,” Chanyeol swore to himself, even though his mind was still very much on where Baekhyun was softly caressing his hand. “Once I'm legal, I swear I will…” 

“Why would you?” Baek asked with honest concern and Chanyeol huffed.

“Because they are ugly and dumb,” he replied with a pout. He had hated them ever since they started to grow too big for their own good.

“They are cute and pretty, you are dumb,” Baekhyun told him softly, surprisingly defensive, and Chanyeol blinked at him in the darkness. “I like them.”

“Y-you… do?” Chanyeol mumbled, dumbfounded. Nobody has ever said that before.

“Yes, dummy,” Baek chuckled, and with one motion slipped his hand inside Chanyeol’s between them. The younger boy was barely breathing by then, but he knew he needed to push himself. He might never get another chance like this to talk honestly with Baekhyun, so he made damn sure to seize it.

“What else?” he whispered, feeling like he was stepping on extremely thin ice. He had Baekhyun’s hand to hold now, though, and he felt safe enough. More than safe. Home. Like he belonged.

“Your eyes,” Baekhyun spoke without a second of hesitation and slipped closer, fingers holding Yeol’s hand tighter.

“I like your cheeks,” Chanyeol admitted, and made sure he was very careful as he reached out in the semi-darkness where he guessed Baek’s face was. His fingers reached his hair and trailed down to his cheek, running his thumb across it.

“Why?” Baekhyun was biting back a grin and Chanyeol let himself grin instead of him. “They are chubby.”

“Exactly,” Chanyeol poked his cheek with a finger. “They’re soft. So nice,” he whispered, knowing that all of his filters were down now. The alcohol and Baekhyun wasn’t a thoughtful combination.

And before he knew it, he leaned in, placing a soft kiss on Baekhyun’s cheek in the dark. If that was the best he could hope for… oh god, his heart was about to explode. He didn’t move back much, meaning he could hear how Baekhyun was breathless for some seconds, and even after he did breathe, it was shallow and shaky. Just like Chanyeol’s own.

“Chanyeol…” it was barely even a whisper, and the younger felt his nerves buzzing with the sensation of the other boy so close to him, so damn close…

“Y-yeah?”

“Can I-”

“Yeah?” and he swallowed, face just centimetres apart from Baekhyun’s now…

“Kiss- you?”

Chanyeol let his eyes flutter shut.

“Please do.”

And the next moment, Baekhyun’s lips were on his, giving him the very first kiss of his life.

\--

Baekhyun pecked his lips softly, the kiss not lasting longer than two seconds before he pulled back, one hand still holding Chanyeol’s own. Chanyeol’s eyes were still closed and he could feel his warm breathing on his lips. Did he just… kiss him for real?

“I-” He muttered softly. “I think I like your lips too.” He gulped audibly, sitting back up.

Chanyeol’s eyes fluttered open. “Yours are pretty nice, too.”

“You think?” Baekhyun chuckled, his free hand combing through his hair. 

“Yes and-” Chanyeol leaned into his touch, smiling softly. “This too… I like it a lot.”

“I like it a lot, too.” Baekhyun admitted with a shaky whisper. He completely forgot about the outside world and everyone in it. It was really just him and Chanyeol and he felt so weirdly in place.

“Can we…” Chanyeol’s voice was barely above whisper and Baekhyun tilted his head to the side. “Do it again?” 

Baekhyun’s hand froze right where he was patting his hair, mouth falling open. His eyes found Chanyeol’s pleading ones in the dark. He gulped and nodding slightly, leaning in again to place a lingering kiss on his lips.

Chanyeol’s free hand was soon cupping his face, his hands shakily touching Baekhyun’s puffy cheeks, gently pulling him closer. Baekhyun exhaled shakily, fingers tangling in his messy hair and kissing him deeper and longer than he ever kissed anyone. 

The beating of his heart, his shallow breathing and his sweating hands were a whole new feeling, making him feel overly weak and defeated. He had no idea how long they have been kissing, or the reason behind it for that matter. Was it the alcohol? Was it the dare? Or was it that burning feeling in his chest, that whiney small voice that screamed wanting to be with Chanyeol?

Soon they heard the sound of their classmates approaching, all talking over one another and Baekhyun pulled back, with a sad smile on his face. He fixed Chanyeol’s hair, before he let his hand drop next to him, the one between them, however, not letting go just yet. 

The chair was pulled back to its pace and the door creaked open, revealing 6 tipsy and curious people looking at them. Joon cocked a brow down at them and Baekhyun climbed out of the closet with a smile on his face letting go of Chanyeol’s hand. The younger quickly followed suit, a smile similar to his on his face.

“What’s with that smile?” Joon scoffed punching Baekhyun’s arm. Baekhyun looked at him with a smirk and his mouth fell open. “Oh no you didn’t.” He laughed in disbelief.

“We didn’t what?” Baekhyun asked with furrowed brows.

“Aww, you let the little loser kiss you?” A guy from year 11 asked Baekhyun whose jaw dropped at the mean tone of his.

“What?” Baekhyun mumbled, his stomach dropping. What was their problem with it? They locked them in there with this sole purpose. “Wasn’t this the aim?” 

The other boys around him erupted in a hysterical laughter, some holding their stomachs, others pointing at the two of them, tears slipping out of their eyes. Baekhyun looked at his left with a confused expression, desperately wanting to find Chanyeol’s but the other wasn’t paying attention to him. He was biting his lower lip, eyes averting from everyone but Baekhyun, fists clenched before he made a run for the door, bumping into Joon’s shoulder on the way. Joon stopped laughing immediately, but the others didn’t have a care about the situation and it made Baekhyun’s stomach flip.

“Chanyeol, wait!” He tried to call out for him as he reached for the doorknob, his own legs working on autopilot and running right after him. 

He kept calling his name, running after him through the camp. He didn’t know Chanyeol was such a good runner and he wished he wasn’t. He reached his bungalow door and with the speed of lightning he disappeared behind it. Baekhyun got there just a few seconds later but when he tried to turn the knob the lock clicked.

“Chanyeol.” He leaned on the door, knocking on it. “Are you okay?”

There was no answer and Baekhyun’s chest felt a lot tighter. He leaned his forehead on the door with a sigh, hands running down on the door as if he could comfort him through it. He didn’t know if he was still there or not, but he had to try.

“Chanyeol… let me in.” He begged biting down on his lower lip. “They were really mean please don’t listen to them. They are… they have an awful sense of humor. You are not a loser, please-” 

“Go away.” Came a sudden answer from the otherside. His voice was deep and cold making Baekhyun’s stomach drop. 

“Please…” He tried again, turning the doorknob but to no use. He was locked out. “I-” He tried to look for words, anything that would change his mind but they all stuck in his throat. “I’m sorry.” He said the only thing that he could, not quite knowing why he was apologizing. He didn’t do anything bad and he certainly didn’t have to apologize in the name of some douchebags. 

After a few minutes of complete silence, he gave up with a sigh, pushing himself away from the door and turning around to walk back to his own bungalow. When he spun around he saw Joon, staring right at him from the campfire, looking worried. He couldn’t look at him then, he couldn’t face him so he decided to take the longer route back to his own accomodation.

\--

Morning didn't come quick as he spent the whole night lying awake in his bed. He pushed the covers off, made his bed and changed into his only clean clothes. He packed his bag in silence, careful not to wake up Jin who was snoring all night. He picked up his duffle bag, throwing it over his shoulder and walked out of the room taking one glance around to check he left anything out.

Luxurious cars have already lined up around the campsite, everyone picking their kids up early before work and Baekhyun couldn’t wait to tell his dad all about it. He caught a glance of him soon, getting out of his Porsche, searching the camp for Baekhyun. He jogged up to him, his dad noticing him when he was only a few meters away and he took the bag from his shoulder pulling him in a tight hug.

“Hello little champ.” He grinned, kissing the top of his head and Baekhyun slightly pushed him away.

“Dad,” He whined. “I am in high school now.”

“That doesn’t change a thing.” He replied instantly and Baekhyun grinned up at him as he ruffled his hair. “Let’s go.” His dad threw his bag in the trunk before walking to the drivers side watching him in anticipation. Baekhyun hesitated.

“Dad… I have to say goodbye to someone.” He replied sheepishly and his dad smiled at him softly, wrinkles showing around his eyes.

“Go ahead.” He nudged him before getting in the car and Baekhyun skipped away happily. Maybe today, he can talk to him.

He jogged up to Chanyeol’s bungalow, the door was now open and he walked into his room that he knew all too well. He opened it, heart beating faster than usual but as he stepped in, he found himself in a completely empty room. His smile dropped instantly as he stood in the doorway speechless. Maybe back in Seoul, he tried to cheer himself up, a faint smile tugging at his lips before gently closing the door and walking back to his dad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so! here we are, you got (more or less) the full story of what happened between our sweet lovebirds before the original story! after this, chanyeol was pretty distant from baekhyun in school, and the older never quite got to understand why. they never really made it to being actual friends in school because of how different their circles were and you know teenage boys... the two of them became rivals in the end, chanyeol wanting to compete so bad that baekhyun had no choice but accept it, and they became the top students of their class. and (if you are following the original storyline) the rest is history...
> 
> thank you for reading this little prequel, and thank you for your patience too! we both are strugging with uni atm so that's why updates are not as regular as they used to be, but we are trying our best to come back to this story because it holds a special place in our hearts and we know you all are here for the happy ending :3 we are getting there, don't worry! comment are always appreciated, here is the perfect time to ask us anything! :D thank you for staying with us, see you soon with another chapter of the original story!
> 
> and until then, stay safe and beautiful ♡

**Author's Note:**

> come hang out!  
midnightau: [twitter](https://twitter.com/blkhaort)  
apieformydean: [twitter](https://twitter.com/anise_or_what)  
shared instagram: [here](https://www.instagram.com/i_love__the_stars/)  
shared twitter: [here](https://twitter.com/anise_and_blk)  
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